


Five Times Tony Almost Found Out

by parknerish



Series: the other city of love [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Bisexual Peter Parker, Boys Kissing, Caught, Coming Out, Gay Harley Keener, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliant, Panic Attacks, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22156102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parknerish/pseuds/parknerish
Summary: and one time he did.or, Harley and Peter haven't told Tony that they're dating. He finds out on his own.NOTE: this is part of a series, but it can be read alone as well
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Series: the other city of love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594807
Comments: 84
Kudos: 738





	1. medbay

To say that Peter was Harley’s first boyfriend would be true, but he was also Harley’s first kiss, his first date, his first everything. Even before he had known he was gay, Harley had been the type of person to think about what it was like to be in a relationship, even going so far as to read articles about how to be a good boyfriend or take those silly Buzzfeed quizzes. Now, though, he was on his own. He’d never really expected to move to New York and fall in love with Peter Parker, so he had never exactly bothered to research what it was like to be a superhero’s boyfriend. Not that there were many articles titled, “How to Date a Superhero” that he could have read in the first place. Now, however, he was in a predicament.

The fact of the matter was…dating Peter Parker meant dating Spiderman, and shit, that could be super cool. Why wouldn’t Harley want a boyfriend that could bench-press him? Not to mention how easy it was for Peter to sneak into Harley’s room with his super hearing and quick reflexes. Harley was always reminded of the fact that his boyfriend was the friendly neighborhood hero of Queens. The boy went out patrolling practically every night – it would be pretty hard for Harley to forget.

But just because Harley knew that Peter was Spiderman didn’t mean he had thought about what that meant for him…what that meant for the future of their relationship. He hadn’t really spent much time thinking about the risks of dating a superhero. If a “How to Date a Superhero” article truly existed out there, it probably had some advice about how to deal with the danger that said superhero would be in pretty much constantly. Unfortunately, that was something Harley had to figure out on his own as he was suddenly presented with the very real results of that danger, his hands stained with red.

He had been lounging on his bed in the tower, half watching some movie that FRIDAY had put on the TV as he scrolled through his phone. Peter had been out on patrol late into the night, having sent Harley a text letting him know that he was staying out longer. Harley wasn’t a controlling person by any means, but he had to admit he was worried. The other boy had stayed up late studying for a Spanish test the night before, and Harley also knew for a fact that he had been kept up by nightmares the night before that. So, as much as Peter liked to pretend that ‘being able to function without sleep’ was included in his list of superhuman traits, Harley knew that his boyfriend was probably running on no sleep in addition to patrolling longer than normal. Despite this, he had just sighed and responded. 

Almost an hour after this text, Harley sat up as FRIDAY spoke up.

_Peter has arrived to the tower._

“Thanks, FRI.” Harley thanked the AI as he got out of bed and made his way out into the hallway, expecting Peter to be on his way to his room. When he saw no signs of Peter, he was confused.

“FRIDAY, where in the tower did Peter go?”

_I’m sorry, Harley, but Peter has enacted the Privacy Protocol. I can’t tell you where he is or what he is doing._

Harley rolled his eyes. “That never applies to me, FRI.”

_Unfortunately, Peter has specifically asked to withhold his whereabouts from you._

Harley paused, confused and now more than a little worried.

“Any insight you _can_ give me?”

_Mr. Parker appears to be distressed._

“I’m enacting the Tell Me Where My Boyfriend Is Before I Hack You Protocol.”

_That protocol doesn’t exist._

“FRIDAY, I swear to god.”

_Mr. Parker has locked himself in the guest bathroom._

Harley took off down the hall, muttering to himself as he went. Why was Peter in the guest bathroom? He had his own room and bathroom in the tower for when he stayed over, not that he actually used it since they always shared Harleys’ bed.

“FRIDAY, which guest room.” Harley asked the AI as he took the elevator down a floor to where their guest rooms were. The floor also held the Avengers rooms for when they bothered to stay at the tower. Peter was the only one that had a room on the Starks’ personal floor, seeing as he was practically family.

_Far end of the hall on the right._

“Thanks, FRI.” Harley muttered as he stepped off the elevator and made his way towards the bedroom where his boyfriend was. He hesitated for a second as the guest bedroom came in sight. Peter _had_ specifically asked for his location to be hidden from Harley. Should Harley have respected his privacy? He shook his head. FRIDAY had said he was in distress, and as difficult as the AI had been, he knew she wouldn’t have broken the Privacy Protocol unless she deemed it necessary. 

Harley let himself into the empty bedroom, wasting no time before he was crossing the room to the bathroom. When he went to open the door, he found it locked. He leaned his head up against the door, trying to hear anything.

“Pete, can you open the door?” At his words, he heard a loud clatter and a loud expletive as Peter cursed.

“Uhhh…Harls, why are you d-down here?” His voice shook as he spoke.

“You didn’t come up like you usually do when FRIDAY said you were here.” Harley said, thinking it was kind of obvious why that would worry him.

“FRIDAY w-wasn’t supposed to tell you I had arrived yet.”

“Well, she did,” Harley said, confused. Had Peter also asked for FRIDAY not to announce is arrival? “Pete, can you please let me in, babe?”

“Only if you p-promise not to f-freak out.”

“I promise, darlin.” Harley wasn’t sure he could really keep that promise when he didn’t know what was going on in the locked room. He heard the lock click and sighed in relief, only to tense up once again as he opened the door and found Peter slumped over the toilet, wearing only his boxers as he held bandages in his hands. However, the reason Harley tensed up wasn’t Peter’s lack of clothes. It was the fact that the boy’s stomach was painted in red and the flow didn’t see like it had slowed down at all.

“Fuck, Peter.” Harley rushed into the room as the boy turned to him. “FRIDAY, get dad up here!” He yelled as the other boy began protesting weakly.

“I’m f-fine, I know how to stitch up small cuts.” Peter said, causing Harley to feel sick as he thought about his boyfriend locking himself in this room to fix his own injuries without telling anyone. Did that mean that this wasn’t the first time the boy had done so?

“This doesn’t look like a small cut.” Harley grabbed a spare towel and held it to Peter’s stomach as he helped the other boy lie down on the floor, looking pale.

“I’m sorry…i-it didn’t seem that bad earlier. Didn’t wanna bother anyone.” Peter said, meekly. He looked up at Harley, eyes wet.

“Why didn’t Karen call dad immediately? Fuck, Peter, this is a lot of blood.” Harley struggled to keep himself calm, knowing he was no good to the boy if he lost his cool. He’d had lessons in the past in what to do in all different types of situations. Tony was nothing if not protective of his kids and made sure they were prepared for any situation that being in his care could expose them to. Had he expected Harley to put that knowledge to work in a spare bathroom while Peter Parker bled out? Probably not.

“She got deactivated. Some weird technical intervention from a villain. I don’t know.”

Before Harley could respond, he heard Tony enter the guest bedroom.

“In here!” He yelled out, thanking fuck that his dad was there. He was reluctant to step away from Peter when his father came in, but he also knew that it was for the best. Within seconds, Peter was being pulled up carefully as Tony barked orders at Harley to help support the other boys weight. It felt like forever before they reached medbay, though Harley knew it hadn’t been long at all. He began to pace as he waited with his adopted father after being kicked out by Helen Cho.

By the time they were allowed in the see Peter, Harley was practically seething with anger, allowing the worry he had been feeling to get the best of him. He entered the room ahead of Tony, barely listening as the doctor talked behind him.

“We were running low on the high-grade sedative so he did wake up halfway through and is awake now. We’ll need to restock on the painkillers and sedatives that work with his metabolism.”

For his part, Peter at least looked guilty as he made eye contact with Harley. Unfortunately, that did nothing to make Harley’s anger go down.

“What the fuck were you thinking, Parker?!” Harley said, raising his voice slightly.

“I – “

“Actually, no, I don’t want to hear your excuse. You went out for patrol running on practically no sleep, stayed out longer than you should have, and then you could have fucking died because you decided to keep your injury to yourself!”

“Harley, I –“

“Fuck, Peter. Do you even realize how goddamn worried I was? You can’t just do shit like this and expect it to be okay! What if I hadn’t come down and found you?!” Harley struggled to keep his voice down, knowing that yelling was painful for the other boy, with his enhanced hearing. “And the fact that you’ve apparently hidden multiple injuries before?! What the fuck, Peter? I’m your fucking boy –“

Before Harley could finish his sentence, Peter had webbed his mouth shut with the web shooter that had been conveniently left on the table next to him. They looked at each other with wide eyes, Peter seeming just as shocked. Harley jumped as Tony spoke up from behind him, having practically forgotten about the man being there.

“Okay, somebody explain what’s going on. You…why are you yelling? And you…where is the web dissolving solution?” Tony sighed as he shook his head, looking at the two teenagers.

Hours later, after Harley was able to speak again and Peter was released from the medbay, Harley waited in his room, hoping the other boy would come. He was staying in the tower overnight, despite having been given the all-clear by Helen. Tony liked to be safe and have him stay after a medbay visit, and May agreed. However, Harley wasn’t sure if the boy would sneak to his room as usual. He _had_ yelled at him earlier, after all.

Harley was lying down on his bed, debating whether or not to text Peter, when the boy in question snuck in. Harley sat up as the boy closed the door quietly behind him. Peter paused as they made eye contact.

“Hi.” He said, still by the door. Harley didn’t verbally respond, lifting his covers in an invitation instead. The other boy relaxed and made his way to Harley, joining him in the bed and curling up on his chest.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I was just so worried, but it was wrong of me to take it out on you.” Harley said, voice soft. He felt Peter shake his head against his chest.

“I deserved it. I was being unsafe and I should have come to you or Tony right away,” he looked up at Harley, “Though you _did_ almost out us to Tony.”

Harley groaned, throwing his head back.

“Don’t remind me. He was so confused when you cut me off like that,” Harley said, chuckling softly. “I’ve got to say, though, I would have been pretty mad at myself if that’s how I came out to him.”

“You’re lucky you have me to stop you from saying whatever you want.” Peter teased. Harley pulled him closer, a soft smile on his face.

“Yeah, I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lemme know how you guys like it! I have about three or four of the 'almost finds out' chapters figured out, so feel free to leave any suggestions or thoughts :)


	2. date night

Harley wasn’t really a fan of dressing up, despite his role as possible future CEO of Stark Industries. He preferred his t-shirts and jeans most days. That’s why he knew he had to think fast when FRIDAY casually mentioned “Tony is waiting for you” as she brought him up to their floor. He took the few moments he had left in the elevator to panic and try to wipe any reaction from his face, straightening his jacket as if that would help his case at all. He schooled his features right as the elevator doors opened, walking out to see his adopted father. He smiled timidly at the man, unable to discern the look on his face as he approached the kitchen and stood on the opposite side of the island.

“Well, you sure look dressed up. What was the occasion? A celebration of staying out past curfew?”

Harley winced, having completely forgotten about the time as he had worried about Tony’s reaction to his clothes.

“You know, time flies…”

“Yeah, I’m sure time flies when you’re sneaking around with local vigilantes.” Tony said, throwing something onto the island between them. Harley looked closer and froze for a second as he looked at the picture of him and Peter sitting across from each other at the restaurant they had gone to for their date. They hadn't been able to spend a lot of time together lately and had wanted to go out and spend the night together. Harley hadn't really thought about being recognized. He had only been part of Tony's family publicly for a little over a year.

“Yeah, time really does fly when you’re helping a friend through a tough night...”

“You sure have an interesting way of helping a friend.” This time, when he threw down a picture, Harley took a moment to himself before looking. He kept his face blank as he stared at the picture of Peter kissing him, thinking about the moment. They had just finished eating and he had said something dumb, expecting Peter to roll his eyes. Instead, the other boy had leaned in and kissed him across the table, then proceeded to roll his eyes. Harley stared at the photo for a few more seconds, cursing himself for not thinking about the fact that he was a public figure now. After a few moments, he looked up into Tony’s eyes, feigning indifference.

“And what about it? I know he had a slight crush on me, and he got stood up by his date tonight so I was there to comfort him.”

“By kissing him? You can’t go around kissing boys if you’re straight, especially in public like this. Do you know how much I had to pay for them not to publish these pictures? Don’t even get me started on the rumors that would start about queerbaiting.”

Harley felt sick as he thought about it. Now could be the time he told his dad the truth. He opened his mouth, hoping that he would be able to say it.

“And what? You know he’s had a crush on you before so you’ll let him kiss you and lead him on? Did you at least talk about it afterwards?” Tony continued talking.

“I…no, not really. I didn’t mean –“

“Well, I’d suggest talking to him as a starting point.” Tony looked unamused, but underneath, Harley could see the hints of worry on his face.

“I will! I just, I don’t know what to tell him.” Harley said, internally freaking out. How was he going to get out of this one? Wasn’t this conversation already going a little too far in trying to keep his secret.

“Just be honest, bud. He might be upset at first, but you just have to be honest.”

“What if I can’t? What if he hates me and I ruin our relationship?” Harley said, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked into Tony’s. He laughed to himself internally, knowing that he and Tony were talking about completely different things now. Harley wasn’t scared of ruining his relationship with Peter, he was scared about ruining his relationship with _Tony_. Harley barely noticed as his hands clutched onto the edge of the counter in front of him.

“He wouldn’t. Nobody could hate you.”

Before he could respond, his father figure had rounded the island and pulled him into a hug. Harley buried his face in Tony’s shoulder, thinking about how different their relationship was than it had been in the past. The Tony he had met when he was 12 would have never let him get snot all over his nice clothes. There was nothing Harley wanted more than to pull away and confess to Tony, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. It was frustrating. He knew Tony wouldn’t care. The man wasn’t exactly straight himself, and he accepted Peter. So why couldn’t Harley just blurt out that he was gay? He wished he could get past the block in his mind and just tell the man and get it over with. His fear made no sense to him as he continued to cry onto his father figure, hoping that one day he would be brave enough to be honest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short one this time. feel free to leave comments/constructive criticism/etc.


	3. geniuses or idiots

Abbie Keener wasn’t dumb. She might not be a genius like her brother was at her age, but she was still smart. Besides, she was the only one in the family that knew that Harley was gay. That’s why it didn’t really surprise her when she figured out Peter and Harley were dating.

They hadn’t really told her, but she knew her brother well enough to see the way he looked at the other boy with shining eyes. As soon as they got back from their little vacation, she had noticed a change in her big brother. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been happy before, because he had been, but it was a different kind of happy. She hadn’t known what the cause of that had been until the next time Peter came over and she saw the same look on his face.

Of course, she didn’t know for sure that they were dating until now. She’d had her suspicions that she’d kept to herself, but they hadn’t been confirmed. She’d woken up in the middle of the night to the feeling of small hands pulling on her arm. When she opened her eyes, she was faced with the sight of a crying Morgan clutching onto a stuffed Iron Man plushie. She froze as she remembered that Pepper and Tony were away on a business trip overnight, leaving Harley, Morgan, and her alone. Of course, there were always other people in the tower, but not on their floor. This was the first time since moving in with the Starks that Abbie had been approached by Morgan in the middle of the night.

“Hey Morgs, what’s wrong?” She said, softly.

“N-nightmare,” Morgan stuttered as she responded, holding on tight to her toy. Morgan usually went to her parents after nightmares, but since they were away, Harley should have been her next choice. Almost like she was reading Abbie’s mind, she continued, “Harley w-wasn’t in his r-room.”

Abbie groaned internally, knowing she had to deal with this now. It wasn’t like she disliked Morgan or didn’t want to help, but she had no idea what to do in this situation. Harley had always been the one to take care of her when she’d had nightmares growing up, not the other way around.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Abbie cringed at how awkward she sounded, but the smaller girl didn’t seem to notice as she shook her head no. “Do you want some hot chocolate? That always makes me feel better after a nightmare.” Harley had always made her a mug of hot chocolate when she couldn’t get back to bed, so she figured it was worth a try to see if it’d help Morgan.

“O-okay.” The little girl sniffled as she followed Abbie out into the hallway, hand clasped in the older girl’s. They were approaching the lounge when Abbie froze, shushing Morgan as she heard the voice of her brother. Unable to make out what he was saying, she crept forward a little, peeking around the corner.

She didn’t notice as Morgan did the same, only realizing when Morgan gasped as they watched Peter lean down and kiss Harley. The boys were snuggled up on the couch with Peter lying on top of Harley, boosting him up to be above the other boy despite being the shorter one, a movie that they were obviously not paying much attention to playing on the tv. Abbie was just glad that the kiss was an innocent one. She did not want to explain the birds and the bees to a 6 year old right now. Well, the bees and the bees in this case, she supposed.

Abbie pulled Morgan back into the hall as she took a deep breath before making her move.

“Harley?” She said, loud and clear as she strided into the lounge with Morgan in tow, pretending not to notice as the boys sprang apart and Harley jumped up.

“Yeah?” He looked embarrassed as he attempted to brush out the wrinkles in his shirt.

“Morgan had a nightmare.” Abbie rushed out, noticing how Morgan was looking back and forth between Peter and Harley.

“Hot chocolate?” Morgan spoke up, turning to Harley with sad eyes.

“Of course. Do you want marshmallows, munchkin?” He said as he picked up the little girl, carrying her on his hip as he made his way to the kitchen. Abbie breathed a sigh of relief as the girl giggled, Peter and Harley’s kiss apparently forgotten.

It was a few days later at breakfast when Morgan brought it up, silencing the room with one sentence.

“Daddy, do boys love other boys the way you and Mommy love each other?”

The man froze with his fork halfway to his mouth, the bit of scrambled egg that had been on the fork falling back down to the plate. Pepper had already left for the day, leaving Tony, Morgan, Harley, Abbie and Peter with breakfast on the stove. Peter had stayed over the night before, after having spent hours in the lab with Tony, working on his suit.

“Uhh, why do you ask that, squirt?” Tony said, picking up his glass of orange juice and taking a sip. Abbie sat tense, knowing what Morgan was about to say, while Peter and Harley looked confused.

“Peter kissed Harley like you kiss Mom.” She said it bluntly, the way only a child can. Tony spit out his orange juice, looking entirely undignified despite the fancy suit he was wearing. Harley, for his part, had gone pale as Peter sat frozen. Abbie, having seen this coming as soon as Morgan had asked the first question, watched on.

“Well…the answer to your question is yes. Boys do love other boys the same way I love your mom. In fact, girls can also love other girls.” Tony said, looking at his daughter with a serious expression on his face.

“Does that mean Peter loves Harley?” Morgan asked, making Abbie wish she was still Morgan’s age…the age where she couldn’t sense the awkwardness in a room.

“No, baby. One kiss doesn’t always mean love. Let’s clean you up, squirt.” Tony led Morgan out of the room, leaving them in silence.

“Well, that was fun.” Abbie said, attempting to lighten the mood. When nobody answered, she turned to look at the boys, catching the glare coming from her brother.

“Did you tell her something?” Harley said, looking like he was about to cry.

“No! How was I supposed to know this was going on, anyways?” She gestured between him and Peter. Peter raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. “We may or may not have seen Peter kiss you the other night when Morgan had a nightmare. I didn’t think she’d even remember it though! She was tired and upset, I thought she would forget about it, for sure.”

“Fuck.” Harley put his head in his hands. Abbie bit her lip as she made eye contact with Peter. She was about to speak up again when Tony came barreling back into the room.

“Sorry about that. She must have seen that picture from when I paid off that paparazzi not to publish anything. Didn’t think about the fact that Morg might see it. Note to self, 6-year-olds are more curious than you would expect them to be.”

“Oh, yeah that picture from when I was helping Pete after his date stood him up.” Harley chuckled awkwardly. If Tony saw the confused look on Peter’s face, he didn’t say anything.

“Yeah. Harley did talk to you about that, right, Pete?” Tony said as he began clearing the table, missing the way Harley made gestures at Peter. When neither boy answered, Tony looked up, causing the boys to freeze and feign interest in their plates. “When he let you kiss him despite him not liking guys? He apologized for that, right?” The man looked uncomfortable, but determined to make sure his son had actually apologized.

“Oh, right, that! Yeah, totally, we’re great. No big deal.” Peter said. When Tony had left the room, Peter turned back to Harley, questioning. Abbie, having stayed silent the entire time, got up and moved to leave the room, but not before stopping to say one thing.

“I have no idea what picture he was talking about, but you guys are sooo lucky he didn’t ask Morgan for any details." She ignored any responses from the boys as she left, shaking her head. Her brother and Peter were idiots for thinking they could hide their relationship for long, and Tony was an idiot for not having seen through their excuses yet. Weren't they all supposed to be geniuses? She laughed as she made her way back to her room. Maybe she actually was the smartest one, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back at university so updates may be a little slower! I'm still thinking of two more 'almost find out' chapters so feel free to leave comments/ideas/suggestions/critiques


	4. god bless pepper potts

Harley hadn’t been the most approachable kid growing up. He had been snarky and rude and a bit of a brat, honestly. Most of this had been a shield he could hold up to avoid making close friendships. He had been young when his father left, but he had never forgotten the hurt they had all felt, and he figured that if he didn’t get close to anyone else, then they couldn’t hurt him. He hadn’t really been trying to create a long-lasting bond when Tony Stark had crashed into his garage, and he sure as hell never thought he would come to see the man as his father figure. The man had been the first person, outside of his mother and sister, that Harley had opened up to since his father had left. The relationship had grown over the course of almost 4 years, slowly creeping up on Harley without his consent, and before he knew it, he was practically calling the hero ‘dad’. Harley wished he could say the same about Pepper.

It wasn’t like he disliked Pepper, because he didn’t, but for some reason, he just couldn’t find it in himself to open up to her. He knew he should be grateful. She’d had just as much say in the decision to adopt them, after all. However, almost a year into the adoption and he still wasn’t sure how exactly to act with her. Sure, he was polite to her. It was the least she deserved, after all she had done for him and Abbie. He was polite and he spent time with her when the family was all together, but that was about it. He never went out of his way to approach her and he never talked to her about anything more serious than school. It wasn’t even like he didn’t care for her either, because he did. He thought she was brilliant and intelligent and he looked up to her a lot, but looking up to someone wasn’t the same as trusting them. He’d honestly been a little jealous when Abbie hadn’t had the same problem as him.

Abbie had clutched onto the Stark Industries CEO almost immediately, going to her for comfort and bonding with the woman. Harley supposed it was only fair, seeing as he was closer to Tony than Abbie was. A deep dark part of Harley even felt a bit of resentment when he saw Abbie with Pepper. He wasn’t sure if it was because he couldn’t have the same relationship, or because it made him think of their mom too much.

The relationship he’d formed with Tony had been unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome. Maybe it was because it had been a slow-building relationship, becoming stronger due to regular phone calls over the course of the years, making it feel natural. But maybe it was because there was nothing for Tony to replace. There had been no dad around for Tony to take the place of, so Harley felt less guilty about allowing him in. With Pepper, on the other hand, Harley couldn’t shake the guilt. If he let himself become close to Pepper, did that mean he was replacing his mother? As wonderful as Pepper was, it was less painful to just keep her at a distance, so that’s what he did.

That’s why he was shocked when she showed up at his door. He had been sitting on his bed, scribbling in a notebook as he fought sleep. He had already changed into a clean t-shirt and sweatpants, knowing that there was a high chance he would fall asleep in the middle of a sentence. He’d done it before, and waking up in jeans and a grease-covered shirt was never comfy. He had been entirely focused on his writing when a knock sounded on the door. He had looked up, freezing when he saw Pepper leaning in the doorway.

“Uhhh, hey.” He smiled awkwardly, trying to think of why she was there. He hadn’t done anything wrong, had he? He was sure he had cleaned up after himself after he had made a small explosion in the lab earlier, and he had even convinced FRIDAY not to inform anyone.

“Hi, is it okay if I come in?” She stood by the door, waiting patiently as she looked at him. He nodded his head, giving her the affirmative, his heart rate spiking when she closed the door. “You know the girls. Too curious for their own good.” She laughed softly, making her way towards where he was sitting on his bed.

“Yeah, Abbie hates not knowing things. Nosiest person I know.” Harley rolled his eyes, feeling a little more at ease as he shared a smile with Pepper. She lowered herself to sit at the edge of his bed, facing the door. He watched as she picked up a blanket he had kicked to the floor previously, placing it in her lap. She looked thoughtful as she stared down at the blanket, and Harley could practically feel his heart beating out of his chest. He didn’t know what exactly was going on, but it was definitely something.

“I was tucking Morgan into bed yesterday,” She started, confusing Harley. What could that possibly have to do with him? Pepper began to fold the blanket in her lap. “I was planning on reading her one of her favorite books, but she asked if we had any that had two princesses instead of a prince and a princess.” Pepper looked up from the blanket at that, while Harley quickly averted his eyes to look anywhere but at her. Oh, fuck.

“Oh?” Harley said, cursing himself when his voice cracked. Pepper smiled softly, not looking away.

“Yeah. I wasn’t exactly anticipating that question from her, but I can’t say it’s unwelcome, either.” The woman looked back down at her lap, unfolding the blanket and beginning to fold it again. Harley felt his heart clench as he watched her, the act reminding him of his mother. She used to do almost the exact same thing when they talked.

“It’s not?” He tried to keep the disbelief from his voice. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised by this. It wasn’t like he had expected Pepper to be homophobic or anything, but being okay with gay people and teaching your daughter about them were two very different things. He couldn’t imagine anybody he knew back in Rose Hill being okay with teaching a 6-year old about gay people.

“Of course not. Honestly, we should’ve taught her about it before. The only reason she was so curious about it was because we didn’t think to tell her.” Pepper said, her hands smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles in the blanket. Harley’s mouth suddenly felt dry as he knew exactly what she was talking about. The ‘it’ that Morgan was curious about being him and Peter. Pepper continued, “Anyways, it’s something that should be talked about because it is absolutely normal and I’m glad Morgan asked me about it. I found some nice LGBT kid’s books online. You would think she already has enough books, right?”

Harley almost stopped breathing as he realized what she was doing. She was giving him an out. If he didn’t want to talk about it, she wasn’t going to make him. She was already moving on to the next topic, if that’s what he wanted to do. He felt a sudden burst of affection in his chest for the woman in front of him, and before he could stop himself he was speaking.

“I’m gay.” It felt like time froze as he waited for a reaction. This was the first time he was coming out to an adult. The first time he was coming out to someone on purpose, even if he hadn’t originally planned to do this tonight. In all honesty, it was a little less scary than he thought, though part of him knew it was because the lead up had been entirely her saying she wouldn’t mind.

“Thank you for telling me. I’m proud of you.” She said softly, turning towards him. This time, he made eye contact as she looked at him, a smile on her face. She didn’t look surprised at all, just accepting. Tears sprung up in his eyes and he didn’t even bother to wipe them away as he looked at the woman that had given him a home for the past year.

“Thank you.” His voice choked up with emotion as he responded, and he just barely caught the surprise on her face as he flung himself at her and felt her arms wrap around him. He couldn’t even remember if he had ever hugged her for more than a split second before. After a bit, he pulled away, looking up at Pepper.

“Do you think my mom would have cared?” He knew it was an unfair question, even as he said it. Pepper had never even met his mom before. However, she just smiled and brushed his hair back, making him feel a lot younger than his 17 years.

“I think your mother would have been even more proud than I am.”

After she had left his room sometime later, Harley had fallen asleep, a small weight lifted from his shoulders. He hadn’t even thought about telling her not to tell Tony until the next day, when they were all sitting and eating breakfast.

“What were you guys up to yesterday?” Tony motioned between Pepper and Harley as he ate his eggs. Harley froze as he waited to see what Pepper would say.

“Just talking, why? Did you miss me?” Pepper said, teasing her husband.

“I was actually coming to get this brat. Wanted to show him something in the lab, but FRIDAY wouldn’t let me in. What were you talking about?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Pepper picked up her plate and took it over to the sink.

“Yeah, I would like to know. That’s why I asked.” Tony said, raising his voice as Pepper left the room, ignoring him. Tony looked over to Harley for an answer, but the boy just smiled down at his food, his heart warm as he thanked the gods for Pepper Potts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to MerryweatherWho for the suggestion on Pepper finding out before Tony! I know this was less about Tony almost finding out but I liked the idea and ran with it. 
> 
> Let me know if you have any thoughts or anything! I have a bit more time to write now that I've gotten used to my schedule, so I'll hopefully have another update as soon as I think of another 'almost finding out' part. Thanks for reading!


	5. a man, duh

There were many pros to dating a superhero: Peter was strong, he had abs, he could go swing across the city to pick up food and be back in like ten minutes, he was smart as hell, he would probably be able to keep Harley alive if a zombie apocalypse occurred, _and_ Harley didn’t have to worry about where his mouth was on Peter’s body. It didn’t matter how much Harley marked up Peter’s neck or back or anywhere, because the evidence was gone before anybody else had the chance to see it. Though Harley would like to mark his territory, he supposed that Peter’s super-healing _was_ pretty helpful when it came to keeping their relationship a secret. The only problem was that it didn’t go both ways.

It wasn’t really something that was on Harley’s mind as he sat, hovering over his worktable as he worked on his latest engine. He had gone to Peter’s apartment the night before because May had been working a double shift, leaving the apartment empty for Peter and Harley to do as they pleased, and well, they were teenage boys. In all honesty, neither boy had been particularly concerned about being careful where they left marks. Tony was on a mission anyways, and practically everybody else in the Tower had already figured it out.

Harley was blasting music in the lab, a habit he had picked up from his adoptive father. His tongue stuck out as he concentrated on the small pieces he was adjusting. He hadn’t changed out of his pajamas before getting to work, hadn’t even bothered looking in the mirror, knowing that nobody else would be in the lab with him today. That was why he was surprised when the music suddenly shut off. He sat up, confused, and looked over towards the doorway, raising an eyebrow when he saw his adoptive father.

“Thought you would be gone for another couple of days?” He said, swiveling around in his chair to face the door. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he met the older man’s eyes. He always missed Tony when he was on missions. The man didn’t lose a beat as he entered the lab. 

“Yeah, well, a little birdie told me that a ball of teenage angst was wreaking havoc on my lab and breaking all of the rules while I was gone, so I figured I better come back and restore order.” Tony said as he made his way to Harley, reaching out to ruffle Harley’s hair, ignoring the boys protests about being way too old for that.

“FRIDAY is a tattletale and I did not break all of the rules.”

“Rule number one: no leaving things on the floor,” Tony looked around the room, eyeing a few piles of metal that he had walked around and a pile that looked suspiciously like the remnants of a fire. “We’ll get back to that one later. Rule number two: you go upstairs to eat dinner with your family.”

“I wasn’t hung –“ Harley began to protest, ignoring the very inconveniently loud rumbling of his stomach.

“Uh-uh, I’m not done.” Tony interrupted, causing Harley to close his mouth. “Rule number three: the maximum consecutive hours you are allowed to spend in the lab is 6, which is already probably too many hours, but I allow it because we have a fridge down here with snacks.”

“I haven’t even been down here for –“

“That’s funny, FRIDAY, how long did you say Harley has been in the lab for?”

_“Harley has been in the lab for approximately 9 hours 13 minutes and 6 seconds.”_

“That’s a lie.” Harley blurted out instinctively. It _sounded_ like a lie. There was no way he had been down there that long.

“Are you calling my AI a liar?” Tony asked, incredulously.

“Well I ain’t calling her a truther.” Harley said, continuing when Tony just looked at him blankly, “It didn’t feel like that long.”

Tony rolled his eyes, turning away and motioning with his hand for Harley to follow. “Well, I’m hungry so you’re joining me for dinner, let’s go.” Tony left no room for arguments as he strode towards the door. Harley looked back at his work, half wanting to just continue working but knowing that he didn’t have a choice.

“You spend ten hours down here all the time.” He couldn’t help but mutter childishly, despite the fact that he was happy to see Tony. The man in question rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, and I’m a perfectly healthy person, aren’t I?” Tony teased as they headed up to their floor. “You should be doing the opposite of anything I do, understood?”

“Sure. So when should I start making my big supervillain plans?”

“I give up. FRIDAY, he’s all yours. Raise him right.” Tony said as the elevator let them out.

He headed to the kitchen and pulled out leftovers. Harley assumed it was whatever Pepper and the girls had eaten for dinner earlier. Harley was halfway done his second plate when Tony spoke up again.

“So who’s the lucky lady?” He said it casually, though Harley could see the curiosity in his eyes.

“What are you talking about?” Harley swallowed what was in his mouth and put his fork down, unsure what his father was talking about.

“Well, I’m assuming you weren’t wrestling a bear anytime recently,” Tony said, gesturing towards Harley with his fork, “Though honestly, I don’t know what kind of shit you southerners get up to. Maybe you do wrestle bears for fun.”

“Umm, nope, can’t say I’ve ever done that.” Harley said, confused.

“Okay, great, so I’ll ask again. What lucky lady turned your neck into a crime scene?”

“My neck…” Harley’s eyes widened as he remembered exactly who he had been with the night before and what they had been doing. He clamped a hand to the side of his neck, somehow causing Tony to look even more entertained.

“I’m sorry, did you even look in the mirror this morning? It’s the other side, kid.” Tony looked a mix between uncomfortable and amused. Harley supposed that was fair. He flushed red as he covered the other side of his neck. He was going to absolutely kill Peter.

“It was no one.” Harley said, wishing the ground would swallow him whole.

“Yeah, and I’m Captain America.”

“It’s just some girl.” Harley said, hoping that would be enough to get Tony off his back.

“What’s her name?” The man was as nosy as ever. Harley frantically began to wrack his brain for a name.

“A..man..da.” He said, slowly. “Her name is Amanda.”

“Last name? FRIDAY, you’re listening to this, right?”

“You’re not doing a background check on her.” Harley said, incredulous.

“Why not?” The billionaire leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow at Harley. “What’s wrong with wanting to make sure my son is safe?”

“You’re impossible. This conversation is over.” Harley got up, taking his plate over to the sink.

“C’mon, I just want to know what girl has gotten the oh so unobtainable heart of Harley Keener.” Harley rolled his eyes at his father’s antics.

“You know, dad, I’m confused. I thought I said the conversation was over, yet you’re still talking?”

“Oh no, you don’t get to use my lines against me, you little shit.” Tony shot back at him, shaking his head.

“Nope, this is where you zip it. Conversation done.” Harley smirked, having successfully guided the conversation away from the previous topic.

“That’s it, get out of here, you brat.” Tony shooed Harley away. Harley gratefully took the chance to escape, already pulling out his phone to text his boyfriend.

Later, when Peter had swung his way to Harley’s window, he found himself cuddled up with his boyfriend in his bed.

“Okay, but why did you pick the name Amanda? Why not something that’s at least closer to my name? Like Penny, or Patty, or Patricia, or Petunia? There are so many names that start with P, Harls.”

“First of all, darlin, none of those are even common names. Second of all, you’re… a man, duh.” He waited for Peter to understand, and knew the moment the boy processed what he had said when Peter closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I hate you.” He rolled his eyes as Harley pulled him in closer.

“Yeah, I’m sure you do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last 'almost finds out' chapter! I hope you guys like it. Thank you to Jaime for the 'a man, duh / amanda' idea. One more chapter to go before this series is done :) Let me know what you think x


	6. harley just wishes he had been wearing pants

To be fair, they had planned to tell Tony at some point in the near future. That plan hadn’t exactly included Tony walking in on them half dressed in Harley’s bed, but of course that was just their luck.

They had been officially dating for about two months when it happened. Frankly, Harley was surprised that they secret had lasted that long. Tony Stark was many things, but mindful of his own business was not one of them. That man was one of the nosiest people Harley knew, so really, it was only a matter of time before he found out. Harley just kind of wished he had been wearing pants.

It was a normal day in the Tower. All of the Avengers had been called out on a mission, and Pepper was taking the girls to a show. Harley had been invited to the show, but he had the excuse of being sick to convince Pepper to leave him at home. After missing a week of school due to a nasty cold, he was just starting to feel better, and that meant Peter could come over.

The superhero had been sulking all week, whining about how he doesn’t even get sick so it was fine for him to be there. Harley, on the other hand, had banned him from his room. It didn’t matter whether or not the other boy could get sick when there was snot running down Harley’s face every five minutes. Talk about a mood killer. Now, though, Harley felt pretty much back to normal.

Peter had gotten to the Tower an hour earlier, bringing along food from his and May’s favorite Thai restaurant. The boys had found themselves sitting cross-legged on Harley’s bed, the food sitting between them on the blanket that Harley had laid out, and after they had finished eating, FRIDAY had started playing a movie. They had laid back against the headboard, with Peter resting his head on Harley’s shoulder, and while it was nice to cuddle up with his boyfriend for the first time in almost a week, honestly, Harley was itching to turn away from the movie and give all of his attention to the other boy. And really, what was stopping him? Nobody else was home, so it wasn’t like he had to worry about being interrupted.

Decision made, Harley turned his head towards the other boy, his hand reaching up to brush a piece of hair behind Peter’s ear. He didn’t need to have superhearing to notice the way Peter’s breath hitched. His ears had always been sensitive. The boy lifted his head up and turned to him, abandoning the movie as he smiled up at Harley.

“Hi.” Peter whispered, his voice soft as he bit his lip. Harley smiled back at him as they made eye contact, before slowly leaning down as he cupped Peter’s jaw in his hand, knowing that the other boy could easily stop him if he wasn’t interested.

It was just a soft press of lips at first, but it still made Harley’s breath catch. Had Peter really been there for an entire hour without Harley doing this? He didn’t know why this wasn’t the first thing he did when Peter walked in the door. He never wanted to go a minute without this. Harley pulled away as his fingers brushed over Peter’s cheeks, but Peter barely waited another second before he tilted his head slightly and leaned back in to press their lips together better. Harley followed, letting the smaller boy lead, a change from their usual dynamic. Usually, Harley was the one calling the shots, so when Peter deepened the kiss and licked into his mouth, Harley, quite frankly, felt a sudden loss of control.

His hands slid down from Peter’s face to wrap his fingers around his forearm, groaning at the muscle he felt there. Seconds later, he moved his hands further down, his fingers itching to pull the other boy closer. He let his fingers dig into Peter’s sides as he gently tugged at his best friend, letting out a pleased hum when Peter settled himself on the taller boy’s lap, knees dipping into the mattress on either side. He let his hands wrap around Peter’s waist with more confidence as he resisted the urge to go lower. Peter’s fingers slid over his jaw and into his hair, nails scraping at Harley’s scalp as he tugged gently at the soft curls.

Peter’s tongue curled against the roof of his mouth and Harley whimpered softly, mouth pliant and open beneath Peter’s. He tilted his head back into Peter’s hands, his fingers playing with the back of Peter’s shirt. When Peter finally pulled away, he did so slowly, teeth catching on the mechanic’s lower lip, gently tugging. Harley stared up at Peter with flushed cheeks and wide eyes, his lips red. Peter stared back, his hands still gripping onto Harley’s hair. A second later, Harley was pressing forward and capturing his lips again, and this time, Harley was in control. Harley wasted no time before he drew Peter’s tongue back into his mouth, one hand sliding up to guide Peter by the back of his neck, while the other hand finally slid under the hem of the boy’s shirt.

Peter let out a soft sound as Harley’s fingers made contact with his heated skin, pushing back into the touch. Then, Harley swirled his tongue slightly and sucked, feeling satisfied by the broken moan that pulled from Peter. He repeated the motion, causing Peter to arch his back instinctively. As Harley grabbed onto the hem of Peter’s shirt, the boy pulled away, breaths hot against Harley’s cheek, his fingers clenched tightly in Harley’s hair.

Within seconds, the shirt was pulled over his head and Harley began peppering kisses along Peter’s jaw, making his way up as Peter tipped his head back and gave him full access to his sensitive skin. Harley smirked to himself before he flicked his tongue over the lobe of Peter’s ear playfully, taking it between his teeth and tugging gently. Almost immediately, Peter’s hips bucked in response, a soft sound leaving his lips. Harley smiled into the side of Peter’s neck, placing a soft kiss into the side of his neck, right under his ear, before speaking.

“Love how sensitive you are, darlin.” He whispered, mouthing against the skin of Peter’s ear and groaning as the boy tugged harshly at his hair in response. Peter groaned softly, resting his forehead against Harley’s.

“ _Fuck, Harley_.” His voice was breathy and whining, his hips grinding down in Harley’s lap and causing Harley to arch up to meet him, hands finally falling down to grip Peter’s ass. Something about the way Peter said his name made Harley groan, and he suddenly maneuvered them so that the superhero was now underneath him on the bed. They were both flushed, breathing heavily with dazed eyes, before Harley leaned down and nudged his nose against Peter’s. He took a moment to revel in the sight of his boyfriend, eyes blown wide and chest heaving, before he began devouring Peter’s mouth again.

The motions were more frantic this time, messier and less controlled as his hand trailed down Peter’s side until he was gripping the back of one of Peter’s thighs. He groaned as he felt the lean muscle beneath his fingers, pulling the leg up to wrap around his hip. His other hand took advantage of the exposed skin of his boyfriend’s chest, groaning as he ran his fingers over his abs. Peter pulled back, hands tugging on the hem of Harley’s shirt.

“Shirt off.” He said, tugging at the loose material. Harley sat back on his thighs as he pulled the shirt off and tossed it off to the side of the bed. “And pants.” Peter said, almost shyly. Harley paused, mouth suddenly dry. They’d only been dating for two months, and they had always stopped at this point. Harley took a deep breath and nodded his head as he slowly unbuttoned his jeans, fully aware of his boyfriend’s eyes on him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go further but they were both nervous, neither one of them having been with another boy before. When he finished kicking his jeans off the bed, Harley lowered himself on top of Peter again, allowing the other boy to pull him in and ease his worries. They kissed softly, tongues mingling as they slowed themselves down.

Harley let Peter rearrange them so that Harley was now on his back, staring up at Peter. The boy began kissing his way down Harley’s neck, pausing every now and then.

“No marks.” Harley managed to get out, still traumatized from the last time Peter had left a mark and the following conversation he’d had with Tony. Peter hummed in acknowledgement before moving on, his teeth grazing Harley’s nipples as the boy groaned. He made his way down, fingers teasing the hem of Harley’s boxers, when he suddenly became aware of a loud commotion by the door.

“GOD DAMMIT, FUCKING –!”

Both boys froze for a brief second, before Harley was scrambling to pull a blanket up over them, despite the fact that neither of them were completely naked. They barely registered it as Tony left the room, the door slamming in his absence. Harley laid there, eyes staring up at the ceiling. Of all ways for his adoptive father to find out he was gay, _this_ had to be it?

“Harley…?” He register Peter’s worried voice and turned to the side, where Peter was already putting his shirt back on, before returning to staring at the ceiling.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just planning what kind of flowers I should have at my funeral. What do you think of lilies…or maybe some roses?” Harley asked.

“I don’t think he’s going to kill you.” Peter said uncertainly.

“Well, no, I’ll already have died of mortification.” Harley said in a matter-of-fact voice. Peter rolled his eyes, crawling onto the bed to join his boyfriend. When Harley turned to him, he gasped at the tears beginning to pool in the other boy’s eyes.

“Oh, baby. Come here.” He pulled Harley towards him, stroking his hair. Harley wasn’t sure how long they sat like that before he finally got up and pulled his clothes back on. He hoped it was long enough that Tony had given up and gone to bed or something. That hope was dashed when they left Harley’s room, hand in hand. They slowly made their way down the hall, neither boy really wanting to face Tony Stark after what he had walked in on. The man in question was sitting at the kitchen island, a StarkPad in front of him, though he didn’t seem to be doing much on it. 

“Nice of you to join me.” He said, not looking up yet. Harley winced at the very obviously fake casual tone. Neither boy responded, prompting the billionaire to look up. His eyes softened as he took in their tense postures. “I’m not going to kill you or make you break up or whatever it is that you’re thinking.”

Harley let himself relax slightly, but he was still tense. Peter, beside him, also stayed tense, making Harley realize how selfish he was being. This had to be scary for Peter too, seeing as Tony was practically his father figure as well, and yet Peter had just had to comfort Harley and convince him to come out of his room. God, Harley was the worst.

“I’m okay with this,” Tony gestured between the two of them awkwardly, “but I don’t ever want to see anything ever again so lock the door or something, yeah?” He turned away, almost making Harley want to laugh as he saw the man so clearly out of his element. At least everyone in the room was on the same page and that was the ‘I wish I were anywhere but here’ page. “Though it really would have been easier to actually tell me that Amanda was actually Peter.”

“Well, he is…a man…duh.” Harley spoke up finally, awkwardly explaining his joke that really didn’t seem as funny anymore. Tony stared at him blankly before nodding.

“Right.” He said before getting up and walking towards where Harley and Peter were still standing. Before Harley could even see it coming, Tony was pulling Harley into a tight hug. Harley let go of Peter’s hand and wrapped his arms around his father, blinking back tears.

“I love you, kid.” The man said as he pulled away.

“Yeah, I love you too.” Harley smiled shakily, feeling himself calm down as Tony clapped him on the shoulder before moving towards the door. Right as he was about to leave, he paused and turned back, an unsure look on his face.

“You did wash your hands between…” he gestured at Peter and Harley again, “ _that_ and coming out here, right?” He looked down at himself, almost as if inspecting his grease-covered shirt for dirt. When Harley slowly shook his head no, Tony fake gagged, before taking off, muttering something about needing a million showers.

Harley laughed incredulously as he and Peter stared at each other.

“As mortifying as that was, at least I can do this without worrying about someone seeing.” Harley moved forward and pecked Peter on the lips, feeling suddenly a lot lighter than he had before. Sure, that hadn’t been exactly how he planned to come out to Tony, but at least it was over and done with.

When Pepper and the girls arrived home, it was to find Peter and Harley cuddled up together on the couch, fast asleep. Pepper smiled before herding Abbie and Morgan off to bed, but not before asking FRIDAY to save a picture of the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo this happened. Let me know what you think! I can't believe my first Parkner series is officially done now... don't worry though, I've got more ideas. (or if you don't like my writing, do worry i guess?) xx


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